The world is still reeling after the news Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest basketball players of all time, has been killed in a helicopter crash, along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna.

When the news broke on Sunday night, Twitter was flooded with messages of disbelief and sadness. Many of these were dedicated to Vanessa Bryant, who faces the unimaginable burden of losing her husband and daughter on the same day – something most of us can’t even fathom.

At the Grammy Awards last night, Lizzo opened the ceremony with a heartfelt tribute to the NBA legend, singing the ballad Cuz I Love You and declaring: “Tonight is for you, Kobe”.

She addressed the tragedy again later in the evening while accepting her award for best pop solo performance. In doing so, she also surmised how so many of us are feeling after hearing the tragic news about Kobe and Giana’s death.

“Thank you to the Academy, this is… unexpected, really cool,” she began. “I want to say, you know, this whole week I’ve been lost in my problems, stressed out, and then in an instant, all of that can go away and your priorities really shift. And today all the little problems I thought were big as the world were gone, and I realised that there’s people hurting right now.”

The singer continued, “You guys create beautiful music, you guys create connectivity and as I’m speaking to all of y’all in this room – we need to continue to reach out. This is the beginning of making music that moves people again. Making music… that liberates people.”

“Let’s continue to reach out, hold each other and lift each other up. God bless you. Thank you so much.”

Lizzo’s words perfectly sum up how so many of us are feeling as we watch this heartbreaking story unfold. And many of the messages circulating on Twitter in the wake of Kobe’s death reflect similar sentiments.

“Life can be so brutal and senseless sometimes. Hold on to your loved ones,” musician John Legend writes on Twitter.

“This is soul crushing. Love your loved ones,” comments screenwriter Randi Singer.

Speaker Eugene Cho adds: A painful reminder of the fragility of our lives. Life is both so precious and fragile. Don’t take it for granted. Don’t take your loved ones for granted.

Tragedies like this tend to shift our perspective in an instant. 

As Lizzo puts it: it is all too easy to get lost in our own problems. This time of year can be hard, too. And some days, our problems can feel like the end of the world. When tragedies like this occur, however, they instantly offer perspective. 

They remind us of what – and who – is really important. They prompt us to spare a thought for all those people who are facing real unimaginable hardship. The ones who woke up this morning like any other day and were blindsided. 

These tragedies remind us to count our own blessings, to never take life for granted and to squeeze our loved ones a little tighter tonight.

Image: Getty